This weekend the moon reached the closest point to Earth along its orbit, which coincided with a full moon. When the two occur at the same time — it happens a handful of times each year — it's known as a "supermoon," according to Space.com.

Technically, the moon turned full at 7:32 a.m. this morning, so last night was prime viewing time. Star-Ledger photographer John O'Boyle captured the moon's rise over the New York City skyline in a time-lapse video you can watch above this post. But this evening should also provide a stellar lunar vista.

A picture taken this morning shows a supermoon over San Salvador, El Salvador. The moon appears about 12 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than a regular full moon, according to NASA scientists.Jose CABEZAS/AFP/Getty Images

Astronomers say this weekend's supermoon will be the super-est of any this year, because the moon will be closer than at any other point in 2013. That means it will appear 12 percent larger in the sky, which could make it up to 30 percent brighter than usual, a NASA official told Space.com.

The moon travels along an oval-shaped orbit, and the point nearest Earth along that orbit is known as the perigree. This perigree moon is about 221,000 miles away from Earth, compared to the typical distance of 238,000 miles, according to USA Today.

A meteorologist with the Weather Channel told USA Today that the supermoon has a heightened effect on tides, so this weekend's tides will be higher and lower than usual. The high tide during a supermoon is known as a "king tide."

The next great supermoon will fall on Sept. 28, 2015, and the largest supermoon for decades to come will occur on Nov. 14, 2016, according to USA Today.